Edged and bladed weapons

Bladed and edged weapons[1] are types of melee weapons used throughout history for combat, hunting and in ceremonies. Bladed weapons include swords, knives and, in more recent times, bayonets. Edged weapons are used to hack and slash but, depending on the weapon, to also thrust and stab. Not all swords, knives and bayonets have blades, but points – intended for thrusting rather than slashing. Other dedicated edged weapons include battleaxes and poleaxes.[2]

^An edge tool is defined as a tool with a cutting edge. A blade is the flat cutting part of a sword, knife, etc. It is also a synonym for a sword. The Macquarie Dictionary (1st ed), Macquarie Library, Sydney, 1981.

^Spear heads, arrow heads and some thrown weapons may have sharpened edges but are not generally considered edged weapons.

^Peterson, Harold L., Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World, Courier Dover Publications, ISBN0-486-41743-3, ISBN978-0-486-41743-1 (2001), p. 80: "Right at the outset trench knives were introduced by both sides during World War I, so that the common soldier was once again equipped with a knife designed primarily for combat."